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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

New Year Newbies

Well, Christmas break was exhausting - filled with lots of traveling and family get-togethers. I didn't set foot near clay except to wrap up the gifts I had created! I did post a couple of new things in my etsy shop Tiny Happiness.

This wall hanging to help you remember to take it easy and a Texas themed trinket dish.


Photographing black glaze is proving to be a challenge! I still haven't come up with a slr camera so my iphone is filling in at the moment. It would be nice if I came across a reasonably priced used one!

In the meantime I'll keep at it. Hoping to be more productive in the new year and possibly do a local show or two. Happy New Year!

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Cats and Bears Oh My!


Okay, 1 bear and 6 cats with 2 swallowed fish, oh my! I finally got around to glazing my cat and bear bud vases. I am still experimenting with the glazing techniques. I tried slip inlay on the littlest cat who seems to be more suited for a toothpick holder! I brushed the black slip into the lines of the bisqued cat and then scraped it off with a metal rib. Wasn't able to keep the white pristine and so the whole thing has a tinge to it.
On the rest of the vases I just brushed black underglaze into the lines in varying shades. The bear is a bit too light I'm afraid, but I also played with polka dots on him. The underglazes are bright, cheery, and whimsical which I love. Wheel thrown vases are also what I stuck to this time because it is so fast to whip them out whereas the hand-built vessels took longer and were challenging to shape symmetrically.
I'm wondering if the bud vase part of it isn't pointless and perhaps I should make little figures instead? Hmm, very torn about vessel versus figurine. Any thoughts are welcomed!!!

Friday, December 4, 2015

Cloudy With A Chance Of Magnets

Oh Happy Friday!

Here are the cloud magnets all ready for the fridge. My fridge is not photo-worthy so I had to improvise. I am looking for a better, affordable camera since my iphone is still not getting the detail I would like no matter how well I try to get the light- sigh. Why are good photographs so elusive to me? I have watched youtube videos and read tips and articles. Hopefully my skills will get better not worse. In the meantime, I'll have a set of light hearted magnets to remind me to take it easy...unless they sell on my etsy shop! Ditto for the hanging holiday star strands.

Each magnet was hand sculpted and then stamped with letters to form the words. After an initial bisque firing I glazed them with black and clear glaze. Super strong magnets are attached to hollowed out recesses in the backs.




White earthenware clay is cut with star cookie cutters and then bisque fired for durability. The star ornaments are then strung together with rustic cord and are ready for hanging indoor or outdoor for cheerful Christmas and New Year decoration.
I like stars so much that I might leave them up year round. They would also be super cute for whimsical nursery mobiles!
These star strands were inspired by the lovely Scandinavian winter decorations I see on pinterest. I love the simplicity of the whites and the sparse, rustic nature of their aesthetic. I wish I had a beautiful interior to photograph these in but my house is a bit too lived in!
This image was mentioned on My Scandinavian Home!



Saturday, November 28, 2015

Glazed Owl Bud Vases


Here are the glazed owl bud vases. I'm still torn on which forms I like best. I have some cheeky cats and a friendly bear ready to fire, all thrown on the wheel, so we'll see how the glazing might evolve.

In the photo above, the 2 larger vases with polka dots and green and blue stripes are handbuilt while the other three were wheel thrown. I used white earthenware low fire clay and amaco underglazes fired to cone 06 I believe. The surface decoration features stamping, impressing, and scoring with a needle tool. I used black velvet underglaze to accentuate the scored outlines. I think I like the black lines better than the turquoise lines on the right.
Overall I'm pleased with the results - this is my first attempt- but still trying to find the perfect techniques to achieve the look I'm going for. I have them for sale in my etsy shop Tiny Happiness.

I've also got some cloud magnets on the way. :)

Friday, November 20, 2015

Owl Bud Vases



I have been working on these new bud vases. Little owls with eyes that hint at their personalities.
This is the very first batch and I'm still not decided which shapes I like best...a few of them are hand-built and the rest are thrown on a wheel. Some are pushed out to form volume for wings or faces and others are left smooth.
This is also new territory for me on the wheel. My mother brought her old brent wheel to me and I'm trying to reintroduce myself to it. Reintroduction from a very short and informal class some 8 years ago mind you, so I'm kind of teaching myself blindly. I suppose I should watch some youtube videos to jog my memory on how to throw clay.
Glazing is another area where I'm pretty incompetent. I'm not sure what I'm doing but am trying to have fun. Hopefully if I keep experimenting I'll discover the look I am going for.
Happy Friday!

Monday, November 9, 2015

Magnetic Clouds

Cloud magnets in the works! Can't wait to get them glazed and on the fridge.